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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. lie — to recline
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. net — for catching
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — the season
  11. tube — the underground
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. tube — a container
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. deal — to handle
  17. net — after costs
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. chip — for betting
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. spring — of water
  24. wax — to grow

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com